Drawer



- Sept. 18, 1945. F.- F. was ETAL 2,384,842

DRAWER Original Filed Oct. 14, 1938 INVENTORS. Zoefi Je Jmy Patented Sept. 18, 1945 DRAWER Felix F. Loeb, Chicago, and James E. Bales, Aurora, 111., assignors t Lyon Metal Products, Incorporated, Aurora, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Original application October 14, 1938, Serial No. 234,868. Divided and this application January 27, 1941, Serial No. 376,146

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to a display or merchandising rack provided with a display drawer adapted to store and display merchandise of various types.

The present application is a division of our copending application Serial No. 234,868, filed October 14, 1938, and now issued as Patent No. 2,255,- 744 of September 9, 1941.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a sheet metal display rack provided With a sheet metal drawer having a unique construction of guideways and supports for permit ting the drawer to be shifted to open and closed position; to provide a simple, rigid construction for the top and drawer slides of a display rack; to provide these and other objects of the invention as will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure l is a perspective, fragmentary view of the top of a rack construction showing the same provided with a display drawer located immediately beneath the top display surface;

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

While the present invention is a divisional application of the prior application Serial No. 234,- 868, filed October 14, 1938, now issued as Patent No. 2,255,744 of September 9, 1941, only so much of the present invention as pertains to the additional subject matter is disclosed in the drawing and described in the specification of this application; that is to say, only the topmost portion of the display rack is illustrated in Figure l of the drawing. In general, the display rack itself comprises a base portion (not shown) having mounted thereon side and rear walls which support a top wall. The sides of the display rack are provided with a pair of side wall members 22 adapted to support shelf and trough structures, as well as a top enclosing wall, as will hereinafter appear more fully in detail.

More particularly, each of the side walls comprises an outer panel 24 of sheet material and an inner panel member 26 spaced therefrom by means of suitable spacing lugs 0r trusses (not shown). One of the forward vertical edges of the inner panel member is preferably formed as at 32, as shown in Figure 4, to provide a suitable front molding along the front edges of these side wall members. The configurated portion is iii shaped to co-act with an inturned flange 34 on the adjacent forward edge of the outer panel 24 to provide a straight and unobtrusive seam or line of juncture. It will be noted that the boxlike molding or enclosure 32 on the forward edges of the inner panel 26 is open at one side, the opening being closed by means of a vertically extending L-shaped strip 36. The L-shaped strip has its forward walls reversely engaged by the configuration 32, and its rearward edge overlying a portion of the fiat wall 26 and preferably secured thereto, for instance, as by welding.

The back wall of the assemblyconsists of a sheet panel member 44 bolted along either side edge to suitable flanges forming the rear extremities of the inner side panels.

The top wall of the present display or merchandising rack comprises a substantially flat, horizontal sheet metal member 46 having both side edges, as well as its rear edge formed downwardly as at 48, and providing an inwardly offset, vertical flange 50, to which are rigidly bolted upright walls 24 and 26 and the rear wall 44 through the agency of bolts 52. The front edge of the wall 46 terminates in a downwardly proiecting flange 58. The upper side edges of the unit are provided with a casing of rectangular finished molding or rail pieces. The molding piece on the front of the unit (Figure 2) consists of a longitudinally extending sheet metal member formed in a substantially rectangular configuration opened on one side, as clearly shown in Figure 2, to fit over the forward edge of the top wall. It is secured to a downwardly extends ing flange of the top wall 58 by welding or any other suitable fastening means.

In addition, the two side and rear walls are provided with detachable molding pieces, same being fastened by clip members, all as duly set forth and claimed in a copending divisional application filed substantially concurrently with the filing of the present application. Inasmuch as the details of construction of these molding or rail pieces are not claimed in the present invention, no further showing or description thereof is deemed necessary. In Figure 1 the rails are shown in position; in Figure 2 the lower portion 60 of the front rails is shown, The side rails and end rail are not shown in any of the other views, except Figure 1.

The construction shown in Figure 1 is not claimed herein since it forms the subject matter of the prior application Serial No. 234,868, filed October 14, 1938, now issued as Patent No. 2,255,744 of September 9, 1941. The details of construction of the present application comprehend the inclusion of a drawer structure for supporting various types of displays.

The drawer structure comprises a drawer having a bottom wall or floor I30, upon which is mounted a rear upstanding wall I32. The forward part of the drawer comprises an upstanding wall I34 having forwardly projecting upper and lower flanges I36 and enclosed by an outer wall or facing I38, the top portion I40 of which extends rearwardly and engages in overlying relation the upper edge of the wall I34. The lower portion of the front wall I38 extends downwardly to a considerable distance and is reversely bent as at I42 to provide a stop'or abutment. The forward edge of the bottom I36 of the drawer is further flanged downwardly as at I64 and is secured by welding against the front facing wall.

I38. The side walls I46 of the drawer (see Figure 4) are welded as at id? to the flanged portions I49 of the front and rear walls I34 and I32, respectively.

' In accordance with the features of the present invention, the drawer structure is supported upon roller guideways comprising outwardly facing channels I48 (see Figure 3) extending longitudinally of the drawer for accommodating rollers I50. Additional rollers I52 are pivotally mounted adjacent the lower portions of the drawers for engagement with a fixed channel-shaped g'uideway formed by the members I54 and I66. The side edges of the drawer bottom I30 are flanged downwardly as at I3I and are coextensive with adjacent side surfaces of the, side wall I46 of the drawer to provide a support for a pivot I56, upon which the roller I52 is mounted. The wall M56 is further flanged inwardly as at I51 along its lower edge for additional rigidity. These inwardly extended flanges I51 at the lower portion of the sidesof the drawer contact the top edge of the upwardly folded flange portion I42 at the two sides of the drawer so as to lend sufficient rigidity to prevent deformation of this upwardly bent portion I42, while at the same time affording suficient resiliency of the stop I42 along that portion thereof intermediate where it contacts the inwardly extending side flanges I57 of the drawer sides I46. 7

The relatively fixed portions of the guide structure for guiding the drawer comprises a pair of relatively transverse channels I63 having their side flanges cut away adjacent either end and the base portions thereof bent downwardly as at I60 for securement to the inner side panel 26 of the side supporting walls 22 by means of suitable fasteners I62. The transversely extending channels I58 support brackets I64 which are provided with a horizontally extending lower flange I66 welded to the channel. These brackets are additionally fastened to the rack wall 26 and to the depending flange 50 of the top of the rack adjacent the upper edge of the bracket I64 by means of the fasteners 52, thereby joining the top and side assemblies. The drawer supporting rollers I50 are pivotally mounted on the fixed brackets I64 at NH, and the channel member I54 is mounted at the bottom portion of this bracket The drawer is accordingly mounted for free, anti-friction movement with respect to the fixed portions of the rack through the agency of the rollers IFiIl and IE2 and with their cooperating guideways hereinbefore described. The stop abutment flange I42 forming a part of the front wall I38of the drawer cooperates with the forward face of the front, transversely extending channel I68 for locating the drawer in closed position.

A further stop abutment plate IE3 is bolted as at il'Il to a longitudinally extending angle bracket H2 (see Figure 3), preferably welded on the bottom of the drawer, and this stop I68 extends downwardly and is adapted to abut the rear portions of the forward, transversely extending channel member I58 to prevent complete withdrawal of the drawer when in open position.

The bottom surface i3Il of the drawer is apertured at regularly spaced points I74 to receive merchandise positioning pins I16. The side walls 5% of the drawer are extended forwardly and flanged as at I'll (see Figure 4:) to facilitate welding to the forward or facing wall I38 of the drawer. Handle members I86 are secured by machine bolts I82 to the drawer, the bolts passing through walls I34 and I38;

In addition, a bridging member I83 is located between the front wall and the channel member t i the free ends of the bridging member I83 being welded to the front wall I38, and the bolt i312 passing through an aperture in the bridging member and through the front and rear walls I38 and I34, and being secured in po sition by the usual nuts, thereby retaining said walls in space relationship under the influence of said handle fastening means, and acting to rigidify the front of said'drawer structure.

Changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the form herein described being a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new-and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A'drawer comprising a rear end, two sides, a front and a bottom, said drawer bottom having a depending flange at its front edge and on the two sides thereof, the front of said drawer comprising spaced members, the forward one of said spaced members having a depending flange at its bottom adapted to engage thefront depending flange of the drawer bottom and being welded thereto, the rearward one of said spaced front members having a forwardly extending flang at its bottom edge welded to the drawer bottom with its forward edge engaging the forward one of said spaced front members, said rearward one of said spaced front members also having a forwardly extending flange at its upper edge engaging the forward one of said spaced members, said drawer sides at their front edges having inwardly extending flanges engaging and welded to the forward one of said spaced members, said forward one of said spaced members being extended beyond said sides and bent laterally rearwardly and thence inwardly to engage said sides, a handle member passing through said forward and rearward members of said front, a bridging member disposed between said spaced front members and having aflat portion through which said handle member passes, said flat portion engaging one of said spaced front members, said bridging member having spaced lateral flanges, the forward edges of which engage said forward one of said spaced front members.

2. A sheet metal drawer comprising a rear and two sides, a front and a bottom, said bottom at its front end having a depending flange, said front being composed of spaced sheet metal members the outer on of which has a downwardly extending flange contactingly overlying the depending flange of said bottom and projecting substantially below the lower edge of said bottom flange to provide a stop member, said sides having inwardly extending flanges, said depending flange on said front having a rearwardly and upwardly bent portion, the upwardly bent portion contacting the inwardly bent flange portions of said side flanges.

3. A drawer comprising a rear and two sides. a front and a bottom, said bottom at its front edge having a vertically depending flange, said front being composed of inner and outer spaced sheet metal members the outer one having a downward extension contactingly overlying the vertical depending flange of said bottom and welded thereto, said downward extension of said outer front member projecting substantially below the bottom edge of said bottom depending flange and thence extending at right angles inwardly and thence vertically upwardly to provide a depending, reinforced, more or less resilient stop member to limit the inward movement of the drawer, said sides having inwardly extending flanges at their bottoms which contact said upwardly bent portion of said depending flange of said front.

4. A sheet metal drawer comprising a rear, two sides, a front and a bottom, said bottom at its front end having a depending flange, said front being composed of spaced inner and outer sheet metal members, the outer one of which has a downwardly extending flange contactingly overlying and. welded to the depending flange of said bottom and projecting substantially below the lower edge of said bottom to provide a stop member, the lowermost portion of said stop member being bent inwardly at right angles to its front plane and thence upwardly in spaced parallel relation to the plane of said outermost member, the bottom portions of said side members depending below the plane of the bottom and thence bent inwardly at right angles thereto, the lowest portion of said inwardly bent side portions contacting the upper edge portions of said upwardly bent spaced flange of said'front member, and said bottom having lateral flanges depending therefrom and contacting and fastened to the depending portions of the side members.

5. A sheet metal drawer comprising a rear, two sides, a front and a bottom, said bottom at its bent inwardly at right angles to its front plane and thence upwardly in spaced parallel relation to the plane of said outer member, the bottom portions of said side members depending below the plane of the bottom to form flanges and thence bent inwardly at right angles thereto, the lowest portion of said inwardly bent portion contacting the upper edge of said upwardly bent spaced flange of said front member, said bottom having lateral flanges depending therefrom and contacting the depending flanges of the side members, and a friction roller including a member passing through said last two mentioned flanges whereby to hold the same together and whereby rotatably to secure the friction roller to said depending flanges of said sides and bottom members.

6. A sheet metal drawer comprising a rear and two sides, a front and a bottom, said bottom at its front end having a depending flange, said front being composed of spaced inner and outer sheet metal members, the outer one of which has a depending flang contactingly overlying and welded to the depending flange of the bottom, the inner of said spaced front sheet metal members having forwardly projecting flanges the outer edges of which contact the rear face of the outer of said spaced sheet metal front members, the lower of which flanges of said inner member contactingly overlies the upper surface of the bottom of the drawer, said outer member at its top being flanged rearwardly, said rearwardly extending flange having its outer end bent downwardly to contact the upper rear surface of said inner of said front members, and a bridging spacing member located between said spaced front members and having legs welded to the outer member, and bolts passing through the outer and inner of said two front members for holding the bridging spacing means in position, and handle means straddling said spacing member and connected to said inner and outer front member.

FELIX F. LOEB. JAMES E. BALES. 

